EFFECTS OF SINGLE AND MULTIPLE DOSES OF A NEW REVERSIBLE MAO-A INHIBITOR, BEFLOXATONE, ON PSYCHOMOTOR PERFORMANCE AND MEMORY IN HEALTHY-SUBJECTS

The effects on memory, psychomotor performance and mood of two dosage regimens of befloxatone, a new reversible and selective MAO-A inhibito r were assessed in a randomized, double-blind, cross-over, placebo-con trolled study involving 12 healthy young male volunteers. Befloxatone and a placebo were orally administered as single (5 and 10 mg) and rep eated doses (10 mg once daily and 5 mg twice daily) at one week wash-o ut intervals. Objective tests evaluated both memory (working memory, i mmediate and delayed free recall of a word list, dual coding and faces recognition) and vigilance (continuous performance task (CPT), and di git symbol substitution (DSST)). Subjective mood and sleep were assess ed using visual analogue scales and the Leeds Sleep Evaluation Questio nnaire. Statistical analysis was conducted using an ANOVA with pairwis e comparisons using the Student Newman Keuls procedure. Both dosage re gimens of befloxatone (10 mg once daily or 5 mg twice daily) were free of any detrimental effect on vigilance (CPT) and information processi ng (DSST) and did not significantly disrupt short- and long-term memor y (working memory, free recall of words, dual coding and faces recogni tion). In addition, no subjective sedation or sleep disturbances were recorded. In conclusion, this study gives no evidence to suggest that befloxatone, at a daily dose which shows potent MAO-A inhibition, has any sedative or amnestic properties likely to interfere with the activ ities of everyday-life in young subjects and therefore may be safely a dministered in depressed outpatients.